Numbered motion picture film



Patented Sept. 19, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE NUMBERED MOTIONPICTURE FILM Application April 12, 1928, Serial No. 269,594

8 Claims.

This invention relates to photographic film used in the motion pictureart, and particularly to such film carrying identifying indicia,especially footage numbers, thereon. In detail, film according to thepresent invention carries indicia- 15 invention consists in the variousmatters hereinafter described and claimed.

Heretofore, numbers have been applied to film by photographing themthereon, the numbers appearing only upon the development of the film goafter its regular exposure in the camera. Among other disadvantages,such films have the followingz-The numbers are not usable (because notvisible) until after the film has been exposed in picture'taking, anddeveloped; the latent images 95 of the numbers may fade during thestorage between manufacture and use of the film; and the numbers willbecome indistinct and illegible should edge fogging of the film occur(the numbers being along the edge of the film between so the extremeedge and the perforations). In film of the present invention thesedifiiculties are eliminated and, in addition, the film has the desirablefeatures above mentioned.

Without restricting the invention thereto, it is 35 described withparticular reference to the film illustrated in the accompanyingdrawing. In this drawing, the figure is a conventional broken out planview of the film having numbers thereon in accordance with theinvention, the numbers being substantially one foot apart, or at eachsixtyfourth perforation, considering them as footage numbers. Indetailed accordance with the invention, the indicia I are applied to theunexposed film F .5 with chemical ink, i. e. are printed thereon, the

ink being such that the indicia are firmly attached to the film, and arepermanent against the washimr, and developing fluids, etc. Furthermore,the indicia are of such material that they 9 will not injure theemulsion either by contact therewith or emanations from the indicia. If,as is desirable, the indicia are to be applied to the film by acontinuous numbering machine, the ink is of such character that it willdry rapidly u (I: the but yet will print clearly without (Cl. 95-l.1)

blurring, and will not gum on the type. Furthermore, the ink should beof a type to be absorbed at least partially into the film, but shouldnot shrink the perforations. An ink having these, and other, desirablecharacteristics may have the following composition for nitrocellulose orcellulose acetate film, no claim for the ink per se being made herein,the same being described and claimed in application Serial No. 269,595,filed April 12th, 1928 now Patent 1,806,965 by J. H. Clewell, one of thepresent inventors, and entitled Printing ink for cellulose esterbodies:-

Grams Diacetone alcohol 200 15 National nigrosine base N Orange sh ll 80The above, it will be noted, comprises a solvent for either cellulosenitrate'or acetate, e. g. diacetone alcohol, a dye, and a thickener, e.g. 20 shellac. Any good nigrosine base may be substituted for the blackone given. Blue ink can be made by the use of any of the spirit blues,and green by the use of malachite green or dia-,- mond green. Othersuitable gums may be substituted for the shellac. The diacetone alcohol,boiling point about 160 0., represents a good cellulose ester solvent(and dye solvent) which gives sufllciently rapid drying without beingtoo highly volatile. In making up the composition, dissolve thenigrosine in the alcohol, filter, and then add the shellac. The rate ofdrying can be increased by an addition of methyl acetone and decreasedby an addition of triacetine.

It will be evident that the proportions of the ingredients may beconsiderably varied from those given above. An important feature is theuse of a high-boiling solvent which has a strong solvent action on thematerial to be marked, and at the same time is a good solvent for dyes.The boiling point of the solvent should be high, so that the ink doesnot dry on the printing tool, but not so high as to retard its dryingrate unduly. A boiling point between 140 C. and 225 C. is most suitable,butthis range is not essential. When 5 used on the plastic the ink setsquickly, largely by absorption into the plastic. Diacetone alcohol is asolvent which peculiarly meets these requirements. Other solvents whichmight be used are ethyl'lactate, and diethylene glycol.

It will be apparent that a film comprised by the present invention canbe produced by printing the indicia, e. g., consecutive numbers, dates,emulsion numbers, numbers relating to operation 9! machines, and soforth, on the base side of the film. It is preferred to print theidentifying data on the base side because such printing is less likelyto cause damage to the sensitive coating, and it is particularlyconvenient to get the necessary adhesion of the ink to the film.

Desirably,'but not necessarily, the film may be printed by running thesame through a printing machine of the type described in the patent toConklin and Rocker, Patent 1,814,432, and entitled Numbering machine. Asis evident, the numbering of the film should be made by safe light, i.e., in a dark room, in order that the film shall not be exposed. Theresult is a film unexposed and undeveloped and carrying visible indiciawhich remain upon the film through its various stages of use. As hereshown, the indicia are properly printed (consecutively from end to endof the film) along the margin between the edge 2 and the perforations 3.In the drawing the (prospective) picture areas are indicated at 4, as itis an unexposed film with which the invention is more particularlyconcerned.

We claim:

1. As a new article of manufacture a roll of cinema film comprising incombination, a film base; having on one side thereof, nonsmearing,permanently indelible, ink-printed marginal indicia; the other side ofsaid base supporting an unexposed light sensitive silver-halide emulsionunfogged and unimpaired by its close association with said indicia insaid roll; and cinematic'marginal perforations in said film in spacedrelation to said indicia, said perforations being undistorted by theapplication of said ink in the margin of said base.

2. As a new article of manufacture, a photographic film' bearing on therear side opaque impressions resistant to superficial liquid treatmentand produced by means of an ink containing a dyestuff and a celluloseester solvent having a giggling point substantially between 140 C. and

3. As a new article of manufacture, a photographic film bearing on therear side opaque impressions resistant to superficial liquid treatmentand produced by means of a solution of a dyestufi such as nigrosine basein a cellulose ester solvent having a boiling point substantiallybetween l40 C. and 225 C.

4. An unexposed photographic film comprising a support composedprincipally of cellulose ester, a light sensitive halide emulsion coatedon one side of said support, the other side ofsaid support havingnonsmearing, non-fogging indelible ink printed indicia in the marginthereof.

5. Photographic raw film comprising a support and on the front side ofsaid support a photographic emulsion, the rear side of said supportbearing photographically printable inscriptions consisting of a dye incombination with a colloid both having deeply penetrated the innerstrata of the support, said dye in combination with said colloid beingfast to the action of the liquids which are used in the subsequenttreatment of the film.

6. Photographic raw film comprising a support and on the front side ofsaid support a photographic emulsion, the rear side of said supportcarrying photographically' printable inscriptions consisting of a dye incombination with shellac both having penetrated within the support, saiddye in combination with said shellac being fast to the action of theliquids which are used in the subsequent treatment of the film.

"I. Photographic raw film comprising a support and on the front side ofsaid support a photographic emulsion, the rear side of said supportcarrying photographically printable inscriptions consisting of acoloring material in combination with a thickener both having penetratedwithin the support, said coloring material incombination with saidthickener being fast to the action of the liquids which are used in thesubsequent treatment of the film.

8. A photographic film having ink-printed marginal indicia depositedwithin the body thereof said indicia comprising a coloring matter and athickener and being plainly visible throughout the useful life of saidfilm.

JOHN H. CLEWELL. FRANK H. MCCORMICK.

